B.C. Premier John Horgan is making good on his campaign promise to scrap the much-maligned tolls on the Port Mann and Golden Ears bridges.

Horgan, joined in Port Coquitlam by Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Claire Trevena and Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Selena Robinson Friday morning in the shadow of the Port Mann Bridge, says the toll removals would make life more affordable for many people in the Lower Mainland.

Tolling for both bridges will end at midnight on Aug. 31, just in time for the Labour Day weekend.

Bills for trips taken until Sept. 1 will still need to be paid, however.

Horgan called the tolls "unfair" for commuters and people living in B.C.'s Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley who regularly cross the Fraser River.

"This is just one of many steps we'll be taking in the coming weeks and months to make life easier for families throughout British Columbia," he told reporters.

He estimates having a "Toll-Free B.C." will save commuters who use the bridges daily $1,500 per year and commercial drivers up to $4,500.

In addition to the monetary costs, Horgan says there's the hidden cost of added congestion on other transportation corridors from drivers trying to skip paying the tolls.

"Many people have been travelling out of their way to avoid tolls because they simply cannot afford them," he said. "Getting rid of tolls will shorten commute times and clear up other routes, so people can spend less time stuck in traffic and more time with their families."

Right now, 121,000 vehicles cross the Port Mann Bridge every day, and another 40,000 take the Golden Ears Bridge.

The Port Mann toll ranges from $3.15 for a car to $9.45 for a commercial vehicle. The toll to cross the Golden Ears is $3.20 to $4.45 for cars, to $10.70 for commercial vehicles.

While Friday's announcement may be a win for commuters, not everyone is thrilled with the decision.

Green Leader Andrew Weaver called the toll removals "reckless," saying there are better ways to address the affordability crisis facing many people in B.C.

He called the policy "high cost and low impact."

"There are lots of good, high return-on-investments decisions that government can make, such as education, student housing and child care," Weaver said.

Removing the tolls will add billions of dollars to taxpayer-supported debt.

"Making such a massive addition to our debt risks raising interest on all debt, which ultimately prevents government from being able to invest more in important social programs," Weaver said.

Axing the tolls will come with job losses, though it's still unclear exactly how many. The transportation minister said about 180 workers would be affected by the elimination.

Removing the tolls on the two bridges was a key campaign promise by the B.C. New Democrats.

On the campaign trail in April, Horgan joked that the Golden Ears would be an ideal place to play road hockey "because there's so few cars on it."